Environment Tasmania backs Huon legal proceedings

Posted by Laura Kelly4654pts on February 06, 2017

Tasmania’s peak environment group today stated its full support for Huon Aquaculture’s legal proceedings in the Federal and Tasmanian Supreme Court.

“The latest report from IMAS scientists shows that all marine life under Tassal’s largest lease in Macquarie Harbour is dead. The government knew this last November, but have allowed Tassal to farm in a dead zone until March this year – that’s 5 months of operating in breach of the law to massive commercial benefit.

While this benefits Tassal’s profits, it tanks the environment, which harms endangered species and all other operators in the harbour,” Ms Kelly said.

“The Hodgman Government has allowed Tasmania’s largest salmon company to operate in breach of the law for too long. It is an absolute indictment on the failure of governance in Tasmania that our second largest salmon company has been forced into legal proceedings in an effort to get the government to protect our environment and the jobs of all workers in the industry,” Ms Kelly said.

“We started seeing damage from salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour in 2013; that more than 3 years later the EPA still hasn’t reduced the tonnage of salmon in the harbour is inexplicable,” Ms Kelly said.

“These legal proceedings provide some hope that action will be taken to protect Macquarie Harbour and the jobs that rely on it, and that some of the evidence sought by Environment Tasmania but declared ‘commercial in confidence’ by the Hodgman Government will finally come to light,” Ms Kelly said.